Volvo Ocean Race 2005 pt2

James Boyd looks at the different boats that might be suitable and proposed a Volvo ocean racing circuit

National teams

Another issue which could make a profound difference to the interest the race inspires is the nationality of the teams.

All the teams at present have multinational crews. Part of the reason for this blurring of nationalities is that all the campaigns want to employ the best talent. However it is also due to the international nature of each boat's sponsorship. All the companies backing these boats have a global reach and don't want to have an allegance to any one nation.

But the upshot of this is there are now two British skippers in the race (one on a Bermudan boat, the other on a Swedish boat), but it is hard to see much Union Jack waving for either of them in the same way as there might be for GBR Challenge or a British motor racing driver. With multi-national crews and no distinct nationality it is hard to see who would support any of these boats. Those who work for a company sponsoring one? Those who know someone on board? Those for whom Grant Dalton is their hero? This just doesn't carry the same clout as having a British or a Kiwi boat and all the nationalistic eccentricity which that brings with it.

So should teams be forced into chosing a national allegiance by having national crews or some portion of their crew from one nation and issuing their entries through a yacht club like the America's Cup?

Volvo offshore circuit

This has been mooted before in the days of Whitbread but has to date never come to fruition. One problem this class has had is that it has never continued after the main event. Following the round the world race, sponsorships run out, the boats are usually all but scrapped or are put into corporate entertainment programs.

If a formal racing circuit was introduced, maybe with a championship points system run by Volvo and including some of the classic offshore races surely it would offer so many advantages. There would be some continuity in the four yearly cycle between events and therefore give more life to the class. More importantly it would also give companies - Volvo in particular - greater value for their sponsorship. For the campaigns this circuit would also be a good test bed for training and development.